Drifter Arena
by FadingBehindEyes
Summary: Every few years, Begucci gathers drifters from all over Filgaia and make them duke it out in a tournament. Only one person will be granted their freedom...
1. Jet's Gone

Disclaimer: I do not own Wild Arms 3 or you. XD

She thundered to get free as the hands surrounded her. The young girl was forced to drop her dual pistols.

"J-jet…"

A man told her to shut up and hit her on the back of her neck with his ARM hilt. Blood trickled from the wound on her neck. Her feet dragged helplessly, drawing two lines in the sand.

Everything was hopeless. Gallows was tranquilized, Clive was knocked out, and Jet was taken away to a separate sector. She could not glance beside her. Janus, Maya, and their team was taken the same way. Janus was dragged by his coat. He was unconscious and was bleeding from his mouth. Maya was tied up like a hostage.

Hot tears ran down her cheeks. It stung the scratches on her face. Virginia's thoughts just floated away like a dream. Only a single thought drifted in her mind. Her tears hurt.

She woke up in a rusty cage. Her team mates were in different cages. They sat in what looks like an old storage room. The dim lighting scraped against each other. Virginia struggled to fit her head between the bars. It blew away her mind. Different drifters, some she knew and some she saw as strangers were all trapped in cages. She saw weapons that were common to her and even some that she never saw before.

Her turquoise eyes followed down the row, identifying drifters as it rolled. There was Roswell, that weird drifter who thought aliens were real. Ian was in another cage. He was the drifter who acted extremely cocky. There was also Cormano, the reckless drifter from Little Twister. There were much more cages with different drifters of different races.

But Jet was no where to be found. Virginia flopped back in exhaustion, trying to remember what happened.

The brunette girl just remembered the wound on her neck and fingered it gently. Someone had bandaged it up, including with the rest of her scratches during the struggle.

"They want us in top physical condition—"

She took a shocked breath as her eyes traced the source of the voice. Virginia narrowed her eyes through the poor light, only to find the infamous Janus Cascade. He was in the same condition as her. But he seemed really calm throughout the situation they were in.

"Do you want to know why we're here?" Janus questioned.

"P-please, where is Jet?" Virginia asked.

"He's gone. They took him to another sector in this crap-hole. Whelp, I guess we're stuck here, Princess…" He laughed to himself. "Anyway, we're in the catacombs of Gunner's Heaven."

Virginia directed her eyes to the cages beside her. Clive and Gallows were still out cold.

"Who brought us here?"

"That bastard, Begucci." Ian was in the cell across from her. He tipped his hat nonchalantly. "Every few years, he holds a tournament. He hires goons to ambush and capture random drifters to compete against each other for their freedom. There will only be one winner who will be set free. The other drifters will continue fighting in the tournament until they're free. No one guarantees if you'll live or not…"

"So we're all trapped in this hell," stated Maya, just a few cells away.

"I'm afraid so," said Ian arrogantly. "That rich bastard will put you against the people you trust, your team mates, and your friends. Wealthy people from all over Filgaia come to watch…

"And how would a ruffian like you know about this?" Maya interrogated.

Ian smirked. "I snuck into Gunner's Heaven to watch when I was a kid. Almost got caught, too." He chuckled to himself at his memories.

Maya was petting Shady. The guards thought that a cat was no threat, so they let him stay with Maya. He was shaking uncontrollably.

"What's wrong with him?"

Maya looked up into Virginia's face. "They bought him here in a box. You know he's claustrophobic."

"I have to find Jet." Virginia put a gloved hand to her head in grief.

"Good luck with that," Maya sarcastically said. "If you haven't noticed, we're stuck in cages and our ARMS are missing. Plus, the catacombs are divided into four sectors. Oh, and don't forget the guards. Don't think you're the only one who has to find someone. My brother was taken to another sector."

Virginia stood up. "This gives us all the more reason to break out…


	2. Breaking Out

It had been a few long, sweaty hours since they were trapped. Virginia looked around her cell room for anything that could help her break out. But she had to be quiet or the guards would catch her.

But it was not a question on what she needed, but who she needed…

The metal door creaked open as Janus Cascade stood smirking at her. His team was behind him.

"Well, aren't you going to save your friend?" Janus said. Gallows and Clive stood at the entrance.

"How did you—"

Janus smirked. "I've been drifting for eight years so I should know my way around the block." He gestured towards the door. "Now come on, we're wasting time."

Shadows of two armed men crossed the door. Virginia jerked back hesitantly.

Janus got the point of that action. Well, eventually they thought of a plan, but in order to carry it out, Virginia had to swallow her pride…

xxx

"You guys are lucky I'm not a boy," grumped Virginia. She strolled very lady-like and knocked daintily on the steel catacomb door.

Gallows gave her a "makeover" on his thought of the perfect woman. Their plan was going into action.

Two men flung it open and pointed their loaded ARMS making Virginia stare down the barrels. Swallowing her sense of distress, she spoke in her most feminine voice.

"Hello boys…"

They store blankly for a moment until streams of blood ran down their nostrils. Gallows and the other guys snuck behind them and got their weapons.

Virginia did everything to direct the guards' attention to her enough for them to sneak up behind the unsuspecting men.

Clive lunged at one of the men with the hilt of his rifle. It slammed down on the man's neck, knocking him down to the floor.

The other shocked man had no time to react as Janus was already heading right for him. He shoved the back of his bayonet towards the man's face. A grotesque cracking noise could be heard.

"Finally," complained Ginny, pulling herself back to normal. "I was about to go insane doing that."

The room they were in was as dirty and rusty as a cell.

There were old papers of Wanted people that probably dated from twenty years ago, still hanging on the wall. Everything was dusty and there were dead bugs lying on the floor.

They found an old sector map just hanging next to the door. The catacombs of Gunner's Heaven were divided into four sections. It did not say specifically who was kept in each sector.

But Ginny was determined to find Jet, no matter what…

xxx

"There are no guards outside this door," Clive said. "We're currently in sector A."

"Right," said Virginia. "We have to carry this plan out carefully."

Gallows turned the knob on the rusty door and gave it a hard push. It creaked with a bending metal sound. Behind the door was a room that wasn't as dirty as the room they were previously in.

They could hear the lights buzzing overhead. There wasn't much in the room but a wooden chair and a table with coffee rings on it.

Clive used his index finger to push his glasses up. "According to the map, the catacombs go in a complete circle. We have to go through each sector slowly."

"So that door is wear we start," said Dario.

Janus narrowed his eyes at his dumb underling. "Gee, I wonder how you found that out."

They made their way out the door into a white hall. Tightly locked doors lined the sides of the hall. The lights were not as old as the ones they woke up too. Actually, the place was a lot cleaner.

"Why do you think the cells here are in better condition than the ones we were in?" Gallows rested his hand on his chin.

Janus gritted his teeth in anger. "They knew we were the more powerful drifters so they probably wanted us in equal grounds by the time we go out to fight."

Gallows spat. "Hm, Duke Begucci is a bastard…"

They departed for the door.

"Oh, and one more thing," said Janus. "Right now, it's just a truce. When we escape, we're back to being enemies."

"Right," nodded Virginia. She scanned the hallway. "We should check each cell for Jet."

"And if it's not Jet then we have to lock them back up?" Gallows said, grinning.

"No, we have to set them free," said Virginia. "It's only the right thing to do."


	3. The Hinabi Girls

She took her gloved hand and turned the doorknob of the first cell. All that came out of the door was a click.

"It's locked…"

"Lemme try," Gallows ran and kick the door with bad results. He slid on the floor.

Clive analyzed the door. "I'm afraid it's made of solid steel. We'll have to find a key if we're hoping to find what's behind door number one."

"**Clive**!" Virginia lunged in and tugged him out of the way. The door exploded into fragments of metal and dust.

"Seriously, if you guys are planning to break out, then don't leave me behind!"

With the glint of an azure eye, four figures came through the dust.

Maya held her chain gun in two dainty hands. "I had to break out by myself."

Virginia smiled and rubbed the back of her head. "Heh, sorry."

Maya walked forward. "Anyway, you said you need help finding your friend."

The blonde looked behind her as she headed through the door. "Well, aren't you coming?"

Virginia snapped out of her trance and followed. The rest of the people gave in to it.

"Dario?" Romero said going into the room.

"What?"

"I fear we're about to go into a huge mess."

They both gulped.

xxx

The walls in the room were padded like an insanity institute.

Alfred walked in. "I don't understand. There's nothing in here but a mirror…"

Clive walked over to a table that was covered with colorful paper and some sort of powder.

He scooped up some of the powder, feeling it between his fingers.

"What is this?"

"Some kind of drug, perhaps," said Gallows. He scooped some up with his finger and tasted it. "Eww, it's not a very pleasant one."

Clive scooped some up and put it in the corner of the room. "Shady, I need you to blow a little of your fire on that powder."

Everyone stood back. Shady took a deep breath and blew embers at the powder.

It started sparking and popping with bright colors. Virginia screamed and fell backwards.

"Everyone, back up," screamed Todd. He had to run in and pull the hypnotized Alfred out of the crossfire.

Virginia looked up at the dying spark. "Fireworks?"

Gallows eyes grew large. "I ate firework powder?"

Janus was lying on the padded floor after being knocked down by the fireworks. "I'm afraid so."

"Why would Begucci want to use fireworks," said Alfred, examining the paper and powder that was "left" on the table.

"And what the hell is with that mirror?" Gallows said, looking straight into it. He put his ear to it. "Wait, do you hear something?"

Virginia started listening. "It sounds like someone is talking. I can't make it out."

"Wait," said Clive. "Everyone, look for a switch somewhere in this room."

They felt on the walls and on the floors for just something peculiar.

"I think I found what we're looking for," said Virginia. Her dress was sticking out from under the table.

The team looked under the table board and saw that a button with wires running off it was stuck under the table like a piece of gum.

"Yeah, that should be it," said Clive. Virginia pressed the button and the mirror was clear like glass.

"Obvious," said Maya. "A two-sided mirror."

"Who are they?" Gallows griped. "I was expecting older women."

Clive elbowed Gallows hard in the ribs.

"I know them," said Janus. "We ran into them once or twice. We beat them, of course."

"Anything we should worry about?" Clive asked.

Janus grinned arrogantly. "Naw, but they're stubborn though."

Gallows barged in. "And I ask yet again, who the fuck are they!"

Janus was annoyed, but decided to tell them anyway:

"They are the Hinabi girls, also known as the Firework girls. They were the daughters of a firework maker, and their weapon of choice, you can figure that out."

"So that explains the fireworks," said Clive. "But they look too young to be drifters."

"They had no choice," said Janus, leaning against a wall. "They had to become drifters due to famine and hostile animals infecting their village. Their mother died of sickness, and soon after, hungry animals came to the village. Their father was left behind to be eaten in the invasion while they ran away from the village carrying the last fireworks."

He gestured over to the mirror. "The older one is Sequoya Hinabi, 15; she seems to tell her little sister what to do in battles. The younger one is Shita Hinabi, 6; her older sister is the one that takes care of her. They may only be a drifter duet, but they are a pretty dangerous force"

"Wow, so they are pretty much very young to be drifters," said Virginia.

Janus smiled to himself. "Reminds me of the age when I first drifted alone."

"So let's get to the setting them free part," said Maya, positioning her chain gun.

Virginia grabbed her gun before Maya can do anything. "If you shoot through the mirror, you might hurt them."

"She's right," said Clive. "We have to find a safer way to get them out."

"**Screw that!**" Janus ran and bucked the end of the bayonet into the mirror.

xxx

Two girls sat in the padded room thinking on how to get out. The older one was like a traditional Japanese woman. She wore a red kimono held together by a huge black band.

Held on her feet were the traditional wooden sandals. Her black hair was tied in a tight bun.

Her sister had short hair that went down to shoulder length. She wore a common Japanese school girl outfit. They were similar to porcelain dolls.

The older one paced the room, tripping over her wooden sandals. "Remember when mama was still alive? She used to tell us many things. She said that you were like a lotus, innocent and easily swept away by the wind. And I was like a mantis, defensive and alert."

The hidden mirror crashed open, surprising the girls. Sequoya rushed over to her sister.

Janus jumped through the broken mirror and went towards them.

"I remember you!" Sequoya said, gripping her sister's hand.

"Relax doll, we're not here to fight."

"Does he make up a title for every girl he meets!" Virginia said.

Romero sighed. "Afraid so."

Virginia made her way into the room.

Sequoya stood up, blocking her sister. "Who the hell are you and why are you here!"

"Relax, we're not going to harm anyone," said Virginia. "We're just here to free you and look for a missing team mate."

"Do you mean a boy with white hair?" said the young one. Virginia ran over to her and bent down face to face.

"Do you know where they took him? Is he hurt?" Virginia asked desperately.

"Stay away from her!" Sequoya said. Virginia stood up and went over to her.

"We won't hurt her, I promise. One of our friends was taken somewhere else and we have to find him."

"Okay," said the older sister, picking up the fireworks left on the table. "But if you hurt her, I'll blow your ass to hell and back. Got that?"

"Yes," said Virginia, walking back to her sister. "Thank you."

"I saw him when my sister and I were being taken to our cell. He was struggling to get free." replied Shita.

"Do you know where they took him?" Virginia asked, careful not to scare the little girl.

"No," said Shita. "But I'm pretty sure the men didn't hurt him."

"_What the hell happened to the door!"_

Everyone froze. Three men ran in with ARMS loaded. "I-it's Virginia Maxwell. Janus Cascade and Maya Schroedinger are here, too. They broke out."

"Let us handle this," said Sequoya. "Come Shita."

Shita ran towards her sister. "Right."

Sequoya took out a tube similar to a dragon. It had a lit firework in it.

The guards' eyes bulged. "Oh shit."

It exploded blowing them into the wall.

One man raised his ARM and shot at Sequoya. Alfred pushed her out of the way.

"Oh shit, I missed!" The three men ran out the door.

Sequoya and Alfred rose up.

"Thank you," Sequoya gave Alfred a kiss on the cheek and ran out the door after the men. Shita followed carrying the fireworks.

Alfred store in a daze. "Heh heh."

He felt the kiss on his cheek. (And to some of you who don't know, Alfred is sixteen. Yeah, I know, fooled me at first, too.)

Virginia and team walked into the hallway. They saw the Hinabi girls run after the three men.

Sequoya turned around for a moment. "See ya, Maxwell team! Thanks for saving us! Someday, we'll return the favor but right now, we got to catch these goons before they can tell Begucci."

She lit another firework and they saw a spark light on the corner of the hall.

"They're going to be great drifters some day," said Clive.

Maya looked at her brother and nudged him. "Why were you looking at her like that?"

Alfred snapped back to reality. "Nothing…"


	4. The Morte Gang

"We should go ahead and get a move on," said Clive, reloading his Gungir HAG 35. "We don't know when the tournament starts."

"Yeah, okay, um, do you think we'll ever see Sequoya again?" Alfred asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Maya said.

"Because…"

The team made their way to the white hallway.

"Hopefully, Sequoya and Shita got rid of those men so we should be safe," said Clive, already heading for the door across from the one they were previously in.

"Maya," said Virginia. "You know what to do."

"Right," the blonde woman tipped her gun as everyone stood back at the upcoming blast. The door flew open as it did before.

The room was similar to the last one. Blankly white with a cupboard sitting in it. The mirror was there again.

"You know the routine," said Virginia. She was already on her hands and knees searching for a switch or some kind of button.

"Huh?" Her gloved hands circled a gold ring bolted to the floor. She pulled at it and the ground shifted. The others took notice of this and helped her pull it. A button was under it. Virginia pressed it and just like before, the two-way mirror became clear.

"Janus, do you remember these guys?" Virginia asked. The team could barely make out the forms in the strange light.

"No," said Janus. "They must be foreign drifters."

Dario and Romero turned pale at their site. Everyone's eyes directed to the two shaking men.

"Do you know anything about these drifters?" Virginia asked.

"Y-yes, they tried to kill us," stuttered Dario.

The team looked at them. This time the lights brightened. And there was a strange realization. Two of the men looked a lot like the two idiots they were questioning right then.

"And what about them?" questioned Janus, trying to ignore the fact that the two henchmen looked a lot his.

Romero swallowed. "They're known as the Morte gang. That man is the leader. H-his name is Don Morte. The other man to the left of him is Gino Temperamento. He has a very bad temper. The tallest one is Rolando Malsicuro. He does all the heavy stuff. T-that's all I can say."

"Um, one more question before we set them free," said Virginia. "Are you two related to those two henchmen in any way?"

It was like all the life was sucked out of Romero and Dario. "**NO! DON'T EVEN TELL THEM WE'RE HERE!"**

"Guess we have to be careful when approaching them," said Maya. "Alfred, you know what to do."

"**Nooooooo!**" Romero sobbed. "Don't open the window. They'll slaughter us as soon as they see us!"

"Yeah, we'll be dead meat if they see us," whimpered Dario.

"You two quit whining. It's a risk we have to take," said Maya.

Alfred lined tiny bombs on the window seal. Everyone stood back as the window flew open. Dario and Romero tried to leave the room, but Janus dragged them back.

"_What in the world happened?"_

The Don climbed out the broken window followed by the two other drifters.

Romero and Dario were trying to get out.

"Whoze you people?" questioned the Don.

"We're here to set you guys free," said Virginia.

The henchman who looks like Dario ripped open the locked door of the cupboard straight off. Inside the cupboard were dual CMIPSOs (smaller version of a machine gun), a Gillus magnum, and a shuriken belt.

Janus turned to his cronies. "Are you _sure_ you two are not related to them."

They were backing away from them. "Heh-heh, no," said Romero nervously. "I don't see why you'd think that."

"So who are you'ze people and what do you need with the Don," the leader said.

"We need some information about a guy who was probably taken pass here," said Virginia, still trying to ignore the resemblance of his team mates.

"Do you mean a boy wit a red and white scarf?" the Don interrogated.

"Yes, do you know where he was taken?" Virginia asked.

"Naw, but you should be happy Begucci didn't want your friend sleeping with the fishies," he said. "He's _hopefully _still alive."

"Wearing the suit and everything, are you guys like mobsters or something?" Gallows inquired.

None of the men answered him.

xxx

Begucci looked over his screens. "I'm happy to see none of them broke out yet. What's this? I'll just send the dogs after them."

He pressed a button, sending vicious dogs to track and kill them.

He walked over to Jet who was tied up. He gripped his face and turned it towards the monitor. "Do you see your friends? They are going to die soon."

Jet grunted angrily trying to get free.

"I see you're worried about them," said Begucci. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. I have better plans for you."

He let go of his face. "I'll let you watch it alone. The last moment of your friends alive." Begucci left the room laughing. Jet could only sit back and watch…

xxx

Shady jumped on Maya's head. "Dogs, I can sense them coming closer!"

"Shady, what do you—"

Three behemoth dogs jumped into the room. They snarled, showing sharp canine teeth. Foam and saliva dripped through the floor like acid. Their claws left streaks on the floor.

Virginia was about to draw her arms, but the Don blocked her path. "No, let us take care of theze mutts."

The Don drew his dual CMIPSOs and shot at one of the lunging dogs. Blood flew out of the wound, the beast landing hard on the floor. Its left shoulder was torn wide open from the blast, gushing blood.

One of the dogs ran forward and bit down on Gino's arm, knocking him down. He took a shuriken and forced it up the dog's neck. The dog whimpered in pain, throwing itself back in spasms. Gino backed away from the dog. It got aggravated and went at him, claws bared. He drew a shuriken by its blade, cutting his hand slightly. He threw it and it sliced through the air. It hit the dog in the forehead then beeped. The dog's head blew open in bits of flesh and brains.

Maya screamed as she ran away from the mess.

The final dog got its snout held shut. Rolando twisted the dog's head, hearing the bones crack. The dog flopped on the floor wheezing helplessly. It gargled on its own blood. The man put his Gillus magnum to its head, and pulled the trigger.

The team store blankly at them.

"What?" replied the Don. "That's how we do it."

xxx

Jet was jumping for joy (or at least trying.) at the sight.

_Come on guys. Don't die on me and leave me stuck here, Yo. Hey, what teh fuck! Those two guys look like—_

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Begucci walk towards him. He faked a miserable face. Begucci once again, gripped his face. "Please realize, Mr. Enduro that you will never get out of here. It'll be much easier on you in the long run…"

_Don't turn around, don't turn around. _

The monitor clicked to a different cell just as Begucci turned around to look at the monitor.

_Yes!_

He didn't know if they would make it or if he would be kept prisoner forever, but his prayer was with them.

xxx

"I guess that's it," said Virginia. "He must have known we broke out. We have to hurry."

Gallows walked over to Gino. "Whoa, that's one nasty bite. I wonder, are you at all related to that guy?" He pointed towards Romero.

"No, p-please don't point me out," begged Romero.

Gino didn't even turn around to look. All he said was this. "A certain someone better shut his mouth before this someone ends up in a certain lake."

Gallows got the point. "Yes sir."

The Morte gang made their way out the door.

"So where are you guys going now?" Virginia asked.

"We have to go shut off the spy monitors so he can't track you," said the Don. I wish you'ze the best of luck, Virginia Maxwell."

She nodded her head as they disappeared into an elevator that went deeper into the catacombs.

"At least we know Jet's still alive," said Virginia. "Hey, wait a minute. Alfred, how did you get here? Maya said you got taken to another sector!"

Alfred grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I found a way out of the catacombs and snuck back in to rescue you guys."

Maya was kind of mad she didn't notice this before. "Alfred, at least do you remember the way out of here?"

Alfred looked down. "No."

Everyone sighed in annoyance.


	5. Assassins

"I wonder how much time we have until the tournament starts," said Ginny, rubbing her tender legs.

"Anyway, we met some strange drifters," said Gallows.

"We better hurry. Begucci probably knows we're here and we still have to find Jet."

Virginia replied.

Gallows found a new way to pester Romero and Dario by asking them the question of, "Are you related to those guys?"

The team walked into the hall.

xxx

"Guess Maxwell's team is here. Looks like Janus and Maya's team is here, too."

The man brushed away his black hair. A light danced in the pupil of his crimson eye as he picked up his AR34 magnum.

"Sir, the cameras clicked off," said woman bent over a monitor.

"They're smarter then I thought," said the tall man. His black trench coat stood stiff as he walked.

"Should we attack now?" said a fairly attractive woman. Her hair was a short black, a few strands of hair over her eyes. The dress that concealed her had a ruffled black top with a strap that went around her neck. Her petticoat was large and red covering down to her feet. In her hand, she held a ruffled black umbrella which had a hole at the top.

"No, let's just what and see," said the man.

Jet struggled to get out. The man walked over to Jet and slapped him. "Your friends will not be alive whether you get out or not. Stay still or I'll make you!"

The woman smiled in her chair. "Losing your cool now, are you?"

"Quiet," he turned to one of the women. "Where are they now?"

"Recovered memory claims they are in sector B, sir."

"Very well," he said. "Reinforce all doors in the sector B."

"What do you want me to do, sir?"

"Just put in something nasty," said the woman.

The man frowned at her interference. "Must you always get into my business, Sauna?"

"Begucci put me with you," she teased. "So I can do anything with your commands. We just have to make sure he doesn't get out." She pointed a gloved finger at Jet.

The man walked over to the elevator. "I'm going to deal with the people interfering with the cameras." He pressed the button that led it to the control room…

xxx

"Do you smell something?" Alfred asked. Concrete barricades closed over the doors.

Purple gas erupted in the hall.

Gallows felt the fumes invade his body. "Ugh, **cough** what is this!"

Clive recognized the odor. "**cough **It's miasma gas." He tried to shield his mouth, but it was no use.

Ginny stumbled trying to keep consciousness. Everything wasn't clear and then, it was like everything darkened.

xxx

Virginia woke up tied to a wall. "Clive, Gallows, wake up. Where are we?"

"The gas must have knocked us out." Clive said.

They could see a shaking box in the corner.

"Shady!" Maya screamed.

"Don't even try—"

The same man accompanied with the woman came forward.

"**Where's Jet, you bastard!**" thundered Virginia. She struggled to get free of the ropes.

"Gone I'm afraid." said the man. "I am quite humbled to introduce myself to the infamous Virginia Maxwell. My name is Atrum Meador. This is my lady friend, Sauna Hunter."

She did a curtsy, still gripping her umbrella.

"**What have you done to Jet?**" Virginia screamed.

Atrum smiled. "You don't have to worry about him. Begucci has other plans for him. For you however, you should be worrying about yourself."

"Drifter thugs hired by Begucci, I suppose," said Clive, regaining his composure.

"Oh, did I forget. I caught some rats sneaking around in the control room." Atrum threw three motionless bodies on the floor. "I also caught two other ones," he dragged two girls on the floor.

Virginia got a closer look. "The Morte gang, the Hinabi girls, what did you do to them!"

"Pure business, Virginia Maxwell, we drifters have to do all it takes to survive in the wasteland." he said. "Begucci is paying us a pretty significant amount of gella to catch all resisting fugitives. Even if it means we have to kill them."

"Come Sauna, the cameras should be back online," he walked out the door.

It was like all hope was lost. Virginia could only watch everything unfold.

"They're dead…"

Silence echoed in the room. The bodies just laid there, unaware of wait's happening.

"_No…we're…not…"_

Gino pushed himself up, blood covering the top half of his face with the dog bite still on his arm, and struggled his way towards the team.

"Don't move," he drew one of his shurikens and started cutting away at the ropes that bound Virginia. The final rope snapped and she was free.

Virginia decided to help out but first she had to check the others. "Clive, how do I check if they are alive?"

"Check if they're breathing or have a pulse," said Clive. Gino was busy cutting him free at the time.

"Thank god, they're alive," said Virginia, relieved. She was especially worried about Shita, being the youngest.

Clive took his back up knife and started to help cut the others free.

When Gino was cutting Romero free, it was like Romero was looking at the mirror image of himself.

"Please don't kill me," he begged.

"Quit whining," Gino said, cutting the last rope. "I don't even have the energy to kill you right now."

xxx

Atrum sat over a monitor. "I knew they wouldn't stay tied up for long. Well Sauna, let's go do that fight you wanted…"

"Oh yay," she twisted the handle on her umbrella. A clicking sound was heard.

xxx

A shot rang through the air. Virginia pointed her dual pistols at him.

"Why are you doing this?"

"As I said before, pure business," said Atrum. "If we pull this out right, I'll be rich."

Clive aimed his Gungir. "So you plan to get rich off the expense of other people?"

"I do what I am told to," he shot his AR34 at Virginia.

She rolled and the bullet hit the wall. Clive was loading his rifle, hoping Virginia would fend him off a little longer.

"Don't even think about doing that…"

His female partner, Sauna, pulled the handle on her opened umbrella. It started shooting bullets like a machine-gun type arm.

"Clive!"

At that moment, Clive moved at amazing speeds, holding his ARM.

"Whoa, I thought you were the slowest," said Gallows.

Clive couldn't help smiling. "Who knew?"

Gallows admits his assailant was beautiful, but he could only say one thing. "What is that?"

"Like it?" asked Sauna, blades sticking off the edges of her umbrella. "It's a handmade custom ARM, only one in existence. Boys, meet my friend, the Malice 13 chain gun."

xxx

Atrum pointed his magnum at Virginia and pulled the trigger. She slid to the left, the bullet grazing her shoulder. Stumbling back, she quickly rolled and shot both her guns.

One of the bullets hit Atrum's leg, making him stumble as the other one hit the floor.

"Nice job, Maxwell," he said. "But I won't die here."

He lunged at her, the AR34's bullets ringing off the walls as she ran.

"I won't let you win, Atrum Meador." Virginia managed to dodge every shot Atrum threw at her.

_I can't keep dodging him forever._

xxx

Gallows and Clive were fighting against an ARM they have never seen before.

"Dammit, everything we shoot at her keeps bouncing off her umbrella." said Gallows gripping his sawed-off coyote. They were running in a complete circle, dodging her multiple bullets.

"Wait, there's an obvious way to beat her. Gallows, run the other way," commanded Clive.

"If I do that, I'll get shot!" said Gallows.

"Then I'll do it!" said Clive. He waited for the exact moment. Holding his breath in adrenaline, he rolled under her crossfire. She continued following Clive in a circle.

He turned to Gallows. "Shoot her now!"

He got the idea and aimed his coyote. The bullet sliced through the air and pinned her between the shoulder plates…

xxx

Atrum shot at her two times, hitting her right on the legs. She stumbled, rolling on the hard floor. She struggled to get up, but Atrum slammed her down again. Knocking the guns out of her hands, he aimed the gun at her head.

And pulled the trigger…

click

"Oh shit."

She quickly reached for her Bantorian and shot Atrum in the chest. He fell back, holding his chest. "Sauna, we'll finish this battle later!"

"Right!" she came over to her injured team mate and put her hand on his shoulder. With a quick spin of her umbrella, they were gone in a cloud of smoke.

"Cowards…"

Virginia collapsed in exhaustion. "Guess Begucci's going to high limits to keep us in order."

Gallows started panting. "Damn straight."

"Ugh…"

She ran over to Sequoya's body. "Great, you're awake. You don't have to worry about those two assassins. We scared them off for now."

Sequoya had blood running from her mouth. "S-shita…Is she okay?"

"Don't worry," said Virginia. "She's alive."

Clive finished cutting Maya and Janus's team free.

"Whelp," Virginia drew her pack. "Better get busy with the heal berries."

xxx

"This time, try not to get almost killed," said Virginia. "Well, I guess we have to continue our search for Jet.

"Good luck," said Sequoya. "We're going to help free other drifters."

"We'll help with that too," said the Don. The Hinabi girls and the Morte gang left the room. Alfred ran outside the door.

"Wait, Sequoya!"

She stopped and turned around. "Alfred?"

Alfred looked at the ground. "Please don't die, okay?"

"Uh, okay, I'll try not to die."

Alfred paused. "Wait, one more thing!"

She stopped.

"If we escape, _when _we escape, would you like to see me sometime?"

She blushed. "Sure."

After that, he left them to do what they needed.

He walked back into the room. Maya smiled at him in a teasing way.

"S-shut up!"


	6. Trisk Clementine

"Todd?"

"Yes Alfred?"

"Do you think we'll get out of here alive?"

"Master, even if we did die, I would die protecting you."

"Thanks Todd."

The butler looked at the young boy.

"Todd, there's another question I have to ask you."

"What else?"

"Do you think we'll ever see Sequoya again?"

"…"

xxx

Todd walked over to talk to Maya. "Milady, I think something is wrong with your brother."

"I've noticed too." said Maya. "All he talks about lately is Sequoya, Sequoya, and Sequoya."

"You mean the fireworks girl?" asked Shady.

"This doesn't involve you, Shadey. Wait Todd, do you know what I think is wrong with Alfred?" chuckled Maya.

"Our little Alfie's in love," said Todd.

Shady secluded himself in the corner.

_They always leave me out…_

xxx

"So what are you going to do when you get out of here, Princess?" asked Janus.

"Not much, I just want to see the sky again," said Virginia. "We've been here staring at white lights for hours.

Gallows was busy preoccupying his self by asking Romero and Dario, "Are you related to those two guys from the Morte gang?" He'd always expect an irritated response back.

"I hope Jet is okay," said Virginia. "We should get going. There are more drifters to free and as each minute passes, Jet is closer to danger."

The team left the room and continued from there.

The room was similar to the other six they've been in.

"You know the drill," said Virginia.

This time, there was no button to be found.

There was no mirror or anything in that matter.

There was a simple door.

"Be careful, it might be a trap," said Clive. He went closer, deciding whether to open it or not. Twisting the doorknob he got out of the way as the door opened.

There was no booby trap, but something else.

Virginia made her way into the room. It was pitch dark as she stood at the doorway.

"Feel on the walls for a light switch—"

"No, don't touch the walls. They're booby trapped and motion sensitive."

A figure came towards the light. "Thank god."

It was a boy. His skin was very light and he had shocking reddish-brunette hair. He wore a pair of protective goggles on his head. On him stood a long tan coat, which opened at his waist, revealing his black-booted legs. He was about as old as Alfred.

"I remember you!" snapped Maya. Todd held her behind the arms to keep her from lunging at the young boy. "You're the kid brother of that bitch, Josephine Clementine."

Todd had to drag her out of the room.

"What's your name?" asked Clive.

"My name is Trisk, Trisk Clementine."

"What in god's name happened to your hand, Trisk Clementine!" Gallows started freaking out, pointing at the boy's palm. A dagger was stuck inside his hand, going right through it. The blood covered his hand, but it looked like it stopped bleeding.

Trisk looked at his hand, gagging. "I spent hours in a pitch dark room, searching for a way out. That's how I found out about the booby-trapped walls. I learned the hard way."

He looked at his blood-stained hand, horrified seeing it for the first time after hours in the dark.

"That's so cruel," said Virginia. "Begucci would do anything to his liking, even if it means keeping a young boy in darkness."

"Thank you, if I did try to look for the exit, I would've died by the time I found it."

Todd came back into the room. "Milady is outside, trying to cool down."

"What's wrong with her?" said Virginia.

Todd hesitated. Sitting down cross-legged, he beckoned for the others to sit.

"Her and Josephine, used to be best friends," said Todd.

"Like Milady, she was born with noble blood. She lived across the street actually. Milady would always play with her all the time, back when Milady was a child. But one day, Josephine hurt Shady and their friendship ended. She didn't know why exactly she did it. They started despising each other. Next thing you know, lady Josephine left to drift, sickened by seeing Milady's face just across the street. That's why she holds such great anger towards the Clementines."

"Does Shady remember that event?" asked Ginny.

"Yes, but we tried not to bring it up when he's around," said Todd.

Shady was in a corner, facing the wall. Trisk, still holding his hand, walked over to Shady as Todd was discussing Maya's grudge.

"Hey kitty, what's wrong?" Trisk patted Shady on the head with his uninjured hand.

"Get your hand off my head."

Trisk's eyes grew three times their size. "I must have been in that asylum for too long, now I'm becoming insane!"

"No, I can talk," said Shady.

"Wow, talking kitty," said Trisk, poking him to make sure he was real. "Why aren't you over there with the others?"

"They don't listen to me anyway," said Shadey. He looked up sadly upon the boy's brown eyes.

He took a seat beside Shady. "Feel left out sometimes, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't have a choice when my sister started drifting," said Trisk. "It's hard feeling useless."

"You remind me of my team mate, Alfred," said Shady. "Except for you actually listen to me."

"Don't say that," he petted Shady's head. "The people who are close to you really care about you. My older sister is really annoying sometimes. One time, she actually slapped me, but I knew she didn't mean it."

"Wow, thanks kid." said Shady.

"Who are ya calling kid, shrimp?" Trisk's face curled into a childish smile. He nudged Shady. Shady nudged him back.

"Say, what's your name?" said Shady.

"Trisk Clementine."

Shady looked at the boy in fear.

"W-what's your last name!" said Shady, it was like the air around him slowed down.

"Clementine."

"Tell me your sister's name!" said Shady.

Trisk looked weirdly at the cat he was having a laugh with a minute ago.

"What exactly is your sister's name?"

"Josephine Clementine."

Shady backed away from him. Everything turned white.

xxx

_An orange kitty played in the backyard. It was his first time outside in years. His owner told him to wait out there._

_A shadow blocked the sun from him. He turned around, just to receive a slap to the face, rolling all over the sandy grass. _

_He struggled to get up, only to be hit again. A girl picked him up by the neck, her cherry brown locks falling over him. _

_He flew and landed in the wood pile. A crash was heard._

_He could remember a black boy, about thirteen at the time, running towards the girl. _

_The boy had heard the crash, and shoved the axe back in the stump where he was chopping wood._

_He was running towards her, screaming his head off._

"_**Leave that cat alone! Go home before I tell your parents! Get out now and don't let me catch you running around here again."**_

_The girl fled in fear. The wood was hard as he remembered the young boy's strong arms picking him up. All he could remember was the blue sky moving by, as he was carried into the fairly large house._

_A blonde girl turned around and dropped her glass of milk. It broke all over the floor, spilling like her tears._

"_Who did this to him? What happened?"_

_The black boy looked into her eyes sadly._

"_It was Josephine, Milady."_

_He could remember the girl crying into her hands._

_Anything other than that, he could hear Alfred, being born just in the next room…_

xxx

"_Shady…"_

The event just played itself fast forward to him, but he could remember it all.

"_Shady…"_

The glass of milk crashed on the floor…

He flew awake, looking up to Ginny's face. "Shady, you passed out."

"Sixteen years ago," said Shady. "That's when it happened."

"Shady, all of it is over," said Todd.

"Shady?" Trisk came towards him.

"**Don't let him touch me!**" Shady was struggling to get free.

"Shady, it's only Trisk. Josephine is not here," said Virginia.

"**Let me go!"** In a blind fury, his paw reached up and clawed Virginia across the face.

Everyone was shocked as the room stood still.

"I have to leave!" Shady scurried out the door.

The door opened suddenly as Shady stepped into the hallway.

"Where are you going?" He looked behind him.

Maya looked at him with sad blue eyes as she sat with her back to the wall. It looked like she was crying.

"I can't stay in that room with the kid brother of that monster!"

She grabbed him and put him in her lap like she used to do so many years ago. She held him like he was a normal kitty.

"It is okay, Shady. If she comes back, I'll make sure she doesn't hurt you…"


	7. Err, Desert Wolf?

Everyone tried to forget what happened. The scratch Shady gave Virginia wasn't serious. She was talking to Trisk.

"You can move with us until you can find your sister," said Virginia.

"Thanks."

The team started moving again. They descended into the hallway, going to where ever they needed to.

Shady tugged on Trisk's coat as he was walking.

"Yes Shady?"

He looked sadly upon the boy's face.

"I'm sorry."

Trisk gave him a warm smile and patted him on the head. "It's okay, shrimp."

Shady smiled.

"Who ya calling shrimp, kid?"

xxx

"Well, guess here is the next room," said Virginia.

"Why exactly do we need to see the other side of the mirror before we break them out?" Gallows said. "It would be much easier just breaking them out."

"We do that so we can guarantee that they're not violent murderers," said Virginia, looking for the switch. She clicked it on and the mirror cleared.

"**Oh shit!**" Gallows stepped away from the mirror. Virginia and Maya screamed, backing against the wall.

A hand was stuck to the mirror. The rest of it was torn off. Clive sucked up his dignity and looked in. There was blood all over the floor. So was a body that was missing its hand, and its head.

He looked around the room. There was no weapon, nothing at all. He looked closer…

A head of a monster went to Clive's face. It roared; its mouth covered in blood.

Clive ran off and got his rifle.

"Halt," a guy wearing a white poncho ran in shooting a harpoon-like ARM. It went through the glass and into the monster's head.

"Die ye minion of Oblivion, in the name of me, the Desert Wolf!" The team store at this guy.

The monster perished. "I have slain the monster!"

"Uh, you forgot one thing, there's a dead body in there so you came too late," said Gallows.

"Not to worry," said the man, "It's a fake body I put in to attract the monster."

The man stood valiantly, wearing his long, flowing, white poncho. He had long blonde hair like he was a knight in shining armor.

"Who are my two beautiful little roses right here?" said the "Wolf".

"Back away from their hands," said Gallows, "I'm the only pervert here."

"Pervert?" the Wolf laughed. "I am but indeed a gentleman."

"Uh huh, yeah sure," said Janus.

"Who art thou my lovely princess?" he caressed Virginia's hand.

They could see the vein on Janus's head bulge. "I'm the only one who calls her princess."

"Virginia, now will you let go of my hand?"

"Virginia," said the man. "Words cannot speak such beauty for thee."

"Freak," said Maya.

"Who is this beautiful damsel over here!" he said, walking towards Maya.

"Get away from me, you crazy wannabe knight!"

A hand rapped his face, but it wasn't Maya's.

"Hands off my sister, jerk," said Alfred, preparing to slap again.

He felt the hand mark on his face. "Why, I have never been insulted so much in my life!"

"Get out," said Alfred.

"You little mongrel, I should—"

Janus's bayonet was pointed to his head. "I advise you to do what he says."

The knight walked out, leaving the team staring.

"Okay, freak."

"I wonder how that guy got out," said Gallows. "The glass wasn't broken in the cell."

xxx

"Master Atrum!"

"What is it!" said Atrum, trying to rewire the monitor signal.

"I tried to gain their trust, but instead, one of those monkey hooligans slapped me!"

"Quiet Milton, I swear, everyone is an idiot these days!" said Atrum. Sauna smoked a long drag, watching Atrum as he worked and laughing every time he bumped his head.

"I want to be called the Desert Wolf. It's more civilized," whined 'Milton'.

"So you got in a little accident with the drifters?" teased Sauna.

"Lady Sauna, I tried everything I could," complained Milton.

"Milton, you may have a pretty face, but too bad you don't have the brains to complement it," said Sauna, taking another drag. Her umbrella leaned against the chair.

"Well, aren't you going to kill them!" he fussed. Milton flipped his long blonde hair.

He received a slap to the face. Sauna got up from her chair. "You do not command me, Milton. Can you be any more incompetent these days? Your job was to join their search group and to lead them here. If it wasn't for the cameras being broken, you would be locked up!"

"Y-yes Lady Sauna," said Milton.

"Do it right this time," said Sauna, forcing him out of the room.

xxx

"Yeah, that Desert Wolf guy creeps me out," said Virginia. They were searching for the next door.

A figure stepped out in front of them.

_Okay Milton, you can't miss this up._

"Might I have a few words with you?"

"Oh great, he's back," said Maya.

_Swallow your pride, boy…_

"I am quite sorry for my rude salutation," he said, his neck straining. "I would like to ask for your forgiveness."

"Uh sure…" Gallows couldn't believe this guy.

"I heard you're looking for a boy, are you not?" he said, trying to act as casual as he can.

"Where exactly did you hear this from?" asked Virginia.

He thought of a bluff. "I-I ran into one of the drifter teams you met."

"Can you tell me what one looks like?" asked Virginia.

_What should I say? If I fail this, then it's all over. I'll be stuck in a dirty cell just like those other drifter mongrels!"_

He looked around the room suspiciously. "Like him?"

He hesitated, but he pointed to Romero. The Maxwell team went into a corner while Maya and Janus's team watched over him.

xxx

"If he ran into the Morte gang, he must have saw Gino, who you obviously know, looks a lot like you know who." said Ginny.

"How do we know he's not lying?" said Gallows. "He could have guessed."

"I don't really trust this man," said Clive.

"Either way, we have to trust him, he might lead us to Jet," she said.

"Okay, if you say so," said Gallows.

She walked back to the Desert Wolf. "Okay, but what are you proposing?"

The man smiled, "I can lead you to your friend's cell. It's all I can do for that rude situation we had earlier."

"Right," said Virginia. "One more thing, what's your real name?"

Milton sighed in annoyance. "Milton Samuel."

xxx

"Okay, err, Milton, you can just follow us," said Gallows awkwardly.

"I'm sure I can find your friend soon enough," he said. "And please, call me the Desert Wolf."

Gallows looked annoyed, "Okay Desert Wolf Milton."

"Well here's the next room," said Virginia, interrupting them.

"W-wait, I thought we were going to search for your friend," said Milton.

_Lady Sauna is going to kill me…_

"I know, we are, but we can't just leave the other drifters here," said Virginia. She entered the room, and it was in the same condition of the cells they were kept in.

They looked around until they found a cage, just sitting in the room.

"Pike?"

The green haired man turned around to see them. "It's Virginia Maxwell; I think I used to know a guy who was in your team!"

"Never mind that, what are you doing here!" said Virginia. "You're not a drifter."

Pike was calmer than he was before. "I heard too much from Begucci's granddaughter, Coney. When he found out, he locked me up."

"I remember," said Virginia. "You went missing a few weeks ago."

"Other than that, can you please let me out of this cage?" asked Pike.

"Right."

"Step away from the door," said Trisk. Everyone looked surprised at him.

He took a breath, and then looked at the cage. He gently touched the bars of the cage. As if he was magic, the bars of the cage door slowly curled backwards until there was no door at all.

"T-that's amazing," said Alfred. "How did you do that?"

Trisk smiled trying to act modest. "Did I forget to mention I am kind of psychic?"

xxx

Every store at him.

"I'm not really experienced, though," he said. "I can only do simple things like bend minor metal or levitate things a few inches from the ground."

"So that's why they kept you in a dark cell instead of the ones similar to the other cells," said Virginia.

"I believe that's correct," said Clive. "He probably could've broken his way out of the cell."

"Do you have to explain everything?" asked Gallows.

"So what exactly did you hear from Coney?" asked Ginny.

Pike swallowed, "She said that she thought her grandpa is up to something involving almost all the drifters in Filgaia. She sounded worried."

"I wonder why he would round up a tournament like this?" said Gallows.

"Like that Atrum guy said, pure business," said Janus.

"Well, since we're done with that, why don't we look for your friend?" said Milton nervously.

"Just a second, Wolfie," said Gallows.

"What are we going to do with Pike around?" asked Clive quietly to the others of his team.

"I don't know," said Virginia. "He is pretty much defenseless."

"There is something we can do, but it is risky," said Maya. "We can send Alfred with him to try to remember how he got out of the catacombs. Todd, you should go with him."

"As you wish, Milady," said Todd, taking refuge beside Alfred.

"Aren't you worried about him?" asked Gallows. "I'd sure be hell of a lot worried of my brother was doing the same thing he is."

"That's what's Todd is for," said Maya. "And if my brother is smart enough to find a way out of here, he should be okay."

"Well, we should be off, Master Alfred," said Todd.

"Before we go, I want to say something," said Alfred. "Everyone, please promise me you won't die."

"Likewise," said Maya. Alfred, Todd, and Pike descended out the door to try to find the way out.

"Well, guess we should move on," said Virginia. "We still have to look for Jet."


	8. The Offering

**Note: The story in here is based off an extremely sad chain letter I read. Prepare to cry.**

The team did some more walking down the hall.

"We met some really crazy drifters," said Gallows. He nudged Clive. "Get a load of Wolfie over there."

"Guess this is the next cell," said Virginia. "We're back to the same old thing."

Janus opened the door as the room was exact same as the other ones.

"You know what—"

"I already found it," said Gallows, pressing a button. This time, the screen did not clear. A wall shifted, making a passage way.

"Well, this is different," said Virginia. She examined the room. It was just like the others. In the center, a giant sphere rested on the pedestal.

"This must be one of those special chambers," said Clive.

"Leave this to me!" shouted Milton heroically.

He violently pounded the sphere with his spear gun. The others store at his sad pathetic attempt.

Gallows grabbed his hand. "That's not how we do it, Wolf."

Around the room were monitors. Trisk got busy with them.

**Password:**

"We have a problem," said Trisk.

Trisk typed furiously to override the system.

**SYSTEM ERROR**

"Okay, any ideas?" said Trisk. He turned to the others.

Gallows thought hardly. "Err; think of what Begucci would enter, money, gella, greedy as hell…"

"There might be another idea," said Maya. "We could steal a guard's armor, and ask another guard."

"It's risky, but I don't see what else we can do," said Ginny. "But how are we supposed to gain their attention?"

Gallows grinned at her maliciously.

xxx

"I never thought I had to do this again," said Virginia. Her dress was remodeled to show the top of her shoulders. Maya had worked on her makeup.

"Go and don't mess this up," said Maya, shoving her out the door. The team pushed the wall so the guards wouldn't know they found the room.

Virginia swallowed as two guards walked down the hall.

"Who is that!"

Virginia stood her ground as they ran towards her.

"Well, where did you come from?" said the guard. The other one got a nosebleed.

Before she could say anything, Clive and Gallows jumped from the door and knocked out the guards.

"Glad that's over," said Gallows.

"Now we need to choose which one of us will wear the armor," said Clive.

xxx

"Well, Virginia and Maya are girls so that rules them out. Trisk is too young and Shady is a cat," said Clive.

"Don't look at me," said Gallows.

"Well, guess that leaves me and—"

Janus backed away, "No, I know I agreed to help but this is beyond what I can offer."

"You're the only one with the specific body type," said Clive. "I'll volunteer myself as well."

"I'm still not doing it," said Janus. Everyone looked at each other.

Janus seemed to get the point.

xxx

"Can't believe I am in this stupid heap of metal crap," said Janus. "Why can't Clive do it himself!"

"You're with him just in case he gets attacked," said Maya. "I thought you knew that being Janus Cascade."

"Relax, you still look quite handsome," Virginia giggled teasingly.

"Shut up, Princess."

Clive pulled on a glove. "Guess I'm ready."

"Yeah, yeah, let's get this over with already," said Janus.

The two walked into the hall. Another sector of two guards was coming right towards them.

"Excuse me," said Clive. "We need some assistance."

The guards ignored them and walked by.

"Guess that wasn't good," said Clive.

"Hurry up and get it over with," said Janus. "This suit is degrading."

Clive caught up with the guards. "We need some help. We seemed to have forgotten the password to the sector program."

The guards continued walking, ignoring Clive.

Janus went up and twisted their arms behind their back. The guards struggled in shock as Janus was squeezing angrily.

"Give us the password, or I will skin you and hang you blokes in my wall tonight."

Clive knew he really wouldn't do it, but it was convincing to the two guards.

"The-the password is Jet."

"Good," Janus let go of their hands as the guards fled down the hall. "I want out of this armor."

They met back in the hidden room. The team entered in the password as Clive and Janus swapped back to their normal clothes.

xxx

"Master Alfred, are we lost?" asked Todd.

"Of-of course not," said Alfred. "I'm just trying to remember the way out."

"Of course master," said Todd.

Alfred sweated as he tried to change the subject. "Uh, Pike, why do you close your eyes all the time?"

"Hey, don't turn it on me!" said Pike, waving his arms.

"And why is your hair green?" asked Alfred.

"Sh-shut up!"

Alfred continued to think of a way out. The elevator moved with a bending sound.

Alfred prepared to throw one of his bombs and Todd already had his sword drawn.

The elevator came to the floor as the door opened. Alfred watched the figure carefully. Then he dropped the bomb in a sweat.

"Hi Alfred."

Alfred was frozen so Todd had to talk for him. "Greetings, Lady Sequoya."

"What are you guys doing in here?" she asked. Shita was carrying fireworks.

"We are looking for a way out, but master Alfred seems to have forgotten." said Todd.

"No I didn't!" said Alfred.

"Yeah you did."

Alfred store at Pike angrily.

"No problem," said Sequoya. "You should take the elevator to this floor and leave through a gap in one of the cells."

"Why haven't you left yet?" asked Todd.

"We are needed here most than anywhere else right now," said Sequoya. She walked into a cell as they heard an explosion of firecrackers.

Alfred went into the elevator followed by Todd and Pike.

"What's with lover boy and that girl?" asked Pike.

Todd sort of smiled childishly at this. "Master Alfred seems to have developed a crush on lady Sequoya."

Alfred frowned. "Shut up."

xxx

**Password: Jet**

Trisk clicked on one of the icons.

**Fugitive information:**

**Name: Tempest Savannah **

**Age: 21**

**Sex: Female**

**Wanted: Yes**

**Other team mates: N/A**

**Information on fugitive: Under any circumstances shall this prisoner be released or moved to another cell unless you have received confirmation by the two head guardsman or Lord Begucci himself.**

"Why do they choose her to keep in a cell like this?" asked Virginia.

"Probably had some king of special power," said Trisk. "Like my telekinesis."

xxx

_The world is a bitch these days…_

_A young woman scurried to church as the bell rang on a cold day._

_As she was about to make her way in, she saw a wet little girl sobbing to herself._

_She walked over to her, putting her arm around her shoulder._

"_Hey kid, why are you crying?"_

_The little girl told her that the people said she couldn't come in because it was "too crowded."_

_It was storming hard, drenching them both._

_The girl was covered in dirt and rags, making the woman understand why they didn't let her in._

_She smiled, taking her hand while they walked in. After arguing with the doormen, she finally convinced them to let her and the cold girl in._

_She was so happy that day._

_After that, the little orphan girl never left her…_

_A few years later, the girl's mangled body lay in her coffin, her being only seven years old._

_She died the night before of illness…_

_It was like the day they met, storming and cold as she stood on a hill with a shovel in hand._

_The woman found a small purse and inside it were two gellas and a note written in childish handwriting._

"_I hope this gella I saved up will help build bigger churches so children could go to church."_

_The little girl, for two years, had been saving up an offering of love._

_Tearfully, she shoved the note and gella in her pocket. She picked up her shovel and dug angrily._

_The little girl's tale of love and compassion towards others who never gave her any would never be told._

_The reason she had for living never got carried out._

_She thought of the poisoned wasteland, and the only one who was pure in the world was a little orphan girl._

_So the woman was forced to bury the little girl on that rainy day, alone on the hill._

_The world is a bitch these days…_

xxx

"Hey, Tempest freak, over here," hollered Gallows.

The Gothic looking woman walked towards the Baskar…


End file.
